SEE WHAT WE’VE DONE
By: Sylvia Blanda

The overall objective of this lesson, in relation to infusing equity by gender in the classroom, is to broaden students’ awareness of the importance of study and learning in all areas of knowledge for females as well as males. With focus on underrepresented gender in career/job areas, the feasibility of pursuing these career/job paths can become more real to students. This reality can be emphasized through direct contact (E-mail, letters, use of the Internet) with people still alive and working, or retired from, these represented fields.

Breaking down the social, emotional, and/or psychological barriers to consideration of non-traditional careers is enabled through role-playing in a panel discussion. By role-playing a person whose life and work they have researched, students not only learn about the person, but also learn about the work and can determine their own interest, if any, in pursuing a career in this area.

STANDARD: All students will be able to identify women (or men if they are underrepresented) who are leaders and achievers in the particular core content curriculum area.

GRADE LEVEL: Seventh or Eighth grade, English, Language Arts

OBJECTIVE(S):

1. Students will recognize contributions by people of diverse backgrounds to our world today. (This is an excellent activity for language arts teachers to integrate with a unit in social studies or science.)
2. To provide opportunity for shared learning through role playing in a panel discussion.
3. To provide immediacy and a purpose to research.

TIME: Flexible.

MATERIALS: Access to library and Internet. A list of leaders or achievers in the area of study.

PROCEDURES:

1. Provide students with a list of leaders or achievers who have some connection based on the area of study. The list should be designed so that it contains a high percentage of the traditionally’ underrepresented persons in this area.
2. Students will choose a person to research. (N.B. There should be enough names listed so that no more than one student is assigned to each person.)
3. Students will find, read, and summarize at least three resources that tell about the person and her accomplishments. If possible, students will present visual evidence of the person’s accomplishment through photos, models, drawings, or examples.
4. If the person is alive, the student will write or e-mail the person; in lieu of that the student may try to find a web site devoted to the person or her work.
5. Students also will prepare a poster designed to teach others about the person they studied. These should be hung around the school or classroom. In preparing for their panel discussion and role play, having students talk about their person, using their poster, can be an effective rehearsal tool.
6. The students will participate in a panel discussion as the person they researched. Students will present prepared comments and then field questions from the audience.

HINTS:

• Although girls have dressed as boys for years, be prepared for some negative reaction by some when the opposite is suggested. However, by including both men and women in the list and allowing students choice of the person to study, protests about clothing are diminished. Further, providing tips about "costuming" help students feel more comfortable about the change in their appearance.
• Providing an adult audience will improve student performance.
• Some students will need to have resources provided.
• Instead of a teaching poster, students could create a web site about the people studied.
• Students may need training or assistance in use of the Internet and/or how to go about contacting a particular person.
• Students will need time to rehearse the role-playing role.
• Videotaping of the panel discussion can lead to continued improvement in use of this learning strategy by teacher and students.
• A reflective journal entry may be used to enable critical thinking about the learnings achieved through this lesson/unit.

ASSESSMENTS: NOTE: Use of rubrics eliminate bias by gender or other forms.

1. Completion of research on leader or achiever. Rubric for what constitutes completed research assignment should be developed and reviewed with students in advance. For example, the rubric should include requirement that students evidence use of 4 resources from the following list, No resources may be used more than twice:

1. Web page
2. Encyclopedia
   CD ROM
   Bound copy (book)
3. Newspaper (may use 3 different articles from different dates in the same newspaper. Counted as one resource.)
4. Biography of the person
5. Autobiography of the person
6. Magazine articles
7. Journal Articles
8. Historic documents
9. Letters that the person wrote
10. Correspondence (letters and/or E-mail)
11. Other

The rubric should also note that each resource used must have correct citation; use for footnote form or bibliography form (e.g. APA Style)

2. Rubric for role playing. NOTE: Students will need to rehearse their roles.
3. Rubric for Participation on the panel. This rubric will be used by observers, or parents, who view this performance.
4. Rubric for discussion skills (speech, listen, interact intelligently). For example;

• Listening attentively when others are contributing.
• Asking clarifying questions.
• Making points clear and brief.
• Being confident to take a position and defend it.